Erenmor
A work in progress. Please avoid messing with things. '' ''The fennecs will know if you did... Erenmor, or the Collective of Tribes of Erenmor, to use the official name, is a mid-sized country located on roughly around the mid-point of the Southern Expanse's northern coast, occupying most of the eastern shore of the Gulf of Zerda. While not the richest, nor the most powerful in military matters, nor the most populous, it has become one of the most technologically advanced nations in the region, despite maintaining a number of traditions going back to its oldest tribal days. Erenmor's most noteworthy neighbours are the Republic of Zerda and the''' Shaghal Consulate, to the west and east respectively. '''History Erenmor as a state only came into existence around 450-475 AW. Before that point, the fennecs inhabiting the region were grouped in small clan and tribal groups without much in the way of formal allegiance to one another. Coalitions formed and fell apart as the tribes warred against each other. Early records mostly exist as part of the various tribes' oral tradition, leaving much of the fennecs' earlier history shrouded in mystery. In fact, even an event of such scale as the Long Winter does not feature greatly in the histories, and where it does, it is referred to as the Cold Times - the hot climate of the region did help to lessen the impact of the catastrophe on the inhabitants. The heavier rainfalls of the season further helped by washing rich soil down into the floodplains, greatly boosting crop yields for a time. With the end of the Cold Times, however, the supply of fertile soil decreased to its previous levels, and the drop in food supply afterwards resulted in several lean years for the inland tribes. The next significant event after the end of the Cold Times is generally considered to be the conquest of neighbouring Zerda by Vulpinian colonists. Feeling threatened, several tribes bordering Zerdan lands banded together in the first Collective. Seeking to secure their lands from similar invasion, they began a campaign of unification, called the Unification Challenges. Some tribes willingly joined, others were bought out, others still were incorporated into the Collective through ritual challenges. Only a handful actually required outright war. The conflicts did help to greatly boost Erenmor's technology, as the Collective continually sought to gain whatever advantage it could over unaffiliated tribes. The funding and resources for this development came initially from piracy, though later on foreign trade did take over as the leading source of revenue. The next century is one of general consolidation and development for Erenmor. With the various tribes united under one banner, the region got to know peace for a time. Despite occasional incidents (i.e. colonisation attempts by foreign powers), trade flourished. These slow years shaped the tribes into a single nation, but it also left them complacent. It was not until 717 AW that they were shaken out of that calm complacency. The great war with Shaghal started innocently enough, over territorial disputes in the south revolving mainly around access to the region's waterways. The area had seen similar conflicts before, but this time instead of burning itself out, it grew more fierce with time. This eventually prompted Erenmor to deploy its regular troops to the area, forcing a similar reaction from Shaghal. Before long, the whole border was seeing constant fighting, though with neither side truly able to push another back any significant distance. Though this flare-up of hostilities soon burned itself out, it still sparked a long-smouldering resentment that continues to this day. The period following that is generally referred to as the River War, seeing a repeating pattern of sparking conflict over southern rivers leading to rapid escalation of hostilities. Following that, the fighting inevitably burned both sides out and they left each other alone for a few years until the next flare. The pattern was broken in 779 AW, when Shaghal forces seized considerable areas of land, particularly in the north and far south of Erenmor, before they were stopped at great cost. While both sides settled down to lick their wounds afterwards, Erenmor undertook a drastic program of modernising its somewhat outdated army, introducing a number of weapons never before tried in the region, chief among them chemical weapons. Two years later, the Retaking was launched, Erenmor's new armaments allowing them to seize back a majority of the lands previously lost before facing stiff opposition. While the conflict would drag out for another four years, it did not see much change in territorial bounds until the armistice that ended it. The last 50 years have been a period of rebuilding for Erenmor, but also of great change and modernisation. The country has made up for its technological lag and now ranks itself among the most advanced nations of the region. International politics, generally put on the back burner during the wars with Shaghal, have once again come to the fore. Most recently, Erenmor is facing rough times once again - a shift in leadership at the top echelons of power, another Scourge abroad, and growing tensions with Shaghal once more threaten its well-being... 'Geography' Erenmor might not be the most welcoming land by northern standards, but in its own region it is a fairly pleasant place. The climate is warm and arid, with generally low rainfall. The exception is the territory to the south, at the foot of the Boundary mountain range. Early winter sees there significant rainfall as rain-bearing clouds from the east find themselves stopped by the high peaks. The soil throughout most of the country is rocky and poor, with the exception of the rivers' flood plains, which provide excellent growing conditions. Savannah is the most common type of terrain, with rock and sand deserts occuring in the far northeast, and thick rainforests growing out from the mountain foothills in the south. The main obstacle the region is facing is water supply. While the mountains see constant generous rainfall, and the regions two major rivers (alongside several smaller ones) provide enough water to nourish a tribal population, a developed nation's needs surpass that capacity by quite a bit. A lot of attention goes into properly balancing the needs of the farmers, the general population, and the land itself, as desertification has become a growing concern of late, and a lot of effort is given to halting or even reversing the process. In terms of mineral wealth, Erenmor was not seen as particularly remarkable until the last 50 years. There are some iron deposits in the southern mountain range, but access to them has always been difficult, and as such they are not exploited as much as they could be. However, recent times have brought about the discovery of larger ore deposits in the Verran province, with the notable presence of materials needed for the production of electronic systems. It has also become recently suggested that the Gulf of Zerda may hold valuable oil deposits, and initial attempts have been made at probing these deposits out. Results have been promising thus far. 'Government and Politics' In form, the government of Erenmor has changed little from its tribal days - save perhaps for scaling up. Where previously the village seer had supreme authority (with the polite suggestion to occasionally listen to advice from the village), today the Overseer holds power over the entirety of the country - in theory. In practice, the country has grown far beyond what any single individual can manage, and the present system is something of a pyramid arrangement. The Overseer at the apex issues orders, the orders pass to the appropriate province's administrator, continue to pass on down the chain until reaching the necessary level of government, while requests travel up the opposite direction (though they rarely go all the way up to the top). Because of this arrangement, the ability to correctly delegate tasks is seen as a crucial one in Erenmor society. Politically, Erenmor makes no real claims of democratic process, though they do exist in the form of the Gathering of the Tribes. The election process to this body is somewhat long-running; local citizens choose one of their own to represent them in the upper area of government (from city field to city overall, from there to region, and so on), that gathering chooses one to go higher still, and on it goes until the Gathering proper is assembled. As such, nation-wide elections do not really happen; most elections are done to fill in a spot at some point of the ladder that vacated for whatever reason. The Gathering may petition the Overseer for specific actions, but the final decision in the matter rests always with the Overseer. Civil service is generally seen as a supplement to daily activities of a citizen, rather than a replacement line of work. As such, it is rarely paid well, usually going no further than covering travel and living costs for assemblies. The Overseer in turn is in essence an absolute monarch, appointed for life (or until they resign). Most often the appointment is done by the reigning Overseer, designating an heir well before succession becomes an issue. There are, however, mechanisms in place for appointing an Overseer should the position become vacant without a designated successor. (see: Reda House Guards) While the outside world at large views the Overseer as the supreme authority figure who pulls all the strings, most Overseers will not meddle too much with the day-to-day affairs of the nation, setting only overall goals and trusting their subordinates to handle the details. This tends to ease the turmoil of a transition of power when a new Overseer is appointed. Currently holding the post of the Overseer is Amanda Covenant. As far as foreign relations are concerned, Erenmor tries its best to present itself as a neutral ground for meetings and negotiations to be held, in the hope that acquiring such a status will create an interest in outside parties in maintaining that same status. Over the past 50 years it has become an active part of the ITO, though with the organisation maintaining buffer zones along the borders with Shaghal, this involvement could be seen as more mandatory than voluntary. As far as particular countries go, Erenmor tries to maintain at least polite relations where possible without playing favourites too conspicuously. Lupinia is viewed quite favourably, though some of its foreign efforts have seemed suspect. The Highland Republic is also respected, but with some caution owing to their colonial past. While logic says that the Vulpinian Legacy should be mistrusted for their colonisation of neighbouring Zerda, Erenmor does not view it as a military threat at present, and is trying to establish proper diplomatic ties. Being mostly fennecs themselves, it is quite natural that Erenmor would think fondly of Zerda, though they try not to be too obvious about it. In contrast, the Free Vulpinian Republic is viewed with quite a bit of suspicion for the perhaps exaggerated fear that it might incite rebellious attitudes in parts of Erenmor in turn. The House of Jerod is, naturally, seen as a major threat and the only nation with which Erenmor would not speak without subjecting it to extensive prior bombardment. Relations with Latrano and the Feline Sultanate are cool, but generally polite. Callentine is viewed with some mistrust due to their proximity and close ties to Shaghal... and Shaghal itself is viewed as the greatest threat to Erenmor's safety, possibly on par with Jerod. While Erenmor recognises the divisions between the various regions of Shaghal, it also remembers keenly the grievances against each of those regions. The Shaghali North has a particularly poor reputation, owing to damage inflicted by it on Erenmor's northern provinces during the last war. 'Military' Erenmor's military is predominantly concerned with maintaining its current borders and as such has a mostly defensive profile, as seen in the tasks and equipment of most of the service branches. It does, however, boast a high-grade special forces corps as well, for when operations abroad are needed. Service in regular armed forces is voluntary, but physically capable citizens are expected to serve a year with the reserve forces in order to be trained in the necessary combat skills. This is a throwback to tribal traditions, where while only select individuals were actually called upon to fight, it was expected that all healthy individuals in the village would know how to at least defend themselves. During the Erenmor-Shaghal wars, this has changed from a simple social expectation to one mandated by the government, with suitable training and equipment included in the package. While the armed forces are an equal-opportunity employer, women seem to show less interest in regular service, making up an estimated 37% of the regular armed forces. The Armed Forces are split into the following sections: *RS: reserve soldiers and local militia, as well as police units and emergency response personnel all fall under this branch. Able citizens undergo their basic training as part of this formation. In times of war, they are rarely expected to fight and only called upon to do so only in the event of direct threat to their homes. RS forces can be recognised by the yellow band in their rank markings. *GS: the regular ground forces, the most numerous of the standing armed forces. They are primarily tasked with defending Erenmor's borders, and as such, border guard personnel fall under their jurisdiction rather than that of the RS. They maintain a large armour pool, as well as operating limited air transport assets (mainly for supply runs) and river patrol units. They have a green band in their rank markings. *MS: the navy and coastguard, as well as the marine forces serving with them. These days their primary task is safeguarding Erenmor's territorial waters, but they are also called upon every now and then to provide heavy fire support to special forces units operating abroad. They are identified by a deep blue band in their rank markings. *LS: the air force. They patrol Erenmor's airspace and provide heavy lifting for military hardware. They also provide fire support to special forces operating abroad closer to home. They have a light blue band in their rank markings. *KS: the special forces. Seen as the elite of the Erenmor Armed Forces, they are the only formation to see regular service outside of the country. They have a significantly more demanding training regimen than the other branches, and also are usually the first to receive new equipment coming into service. They are a primarily infantry force, but possess some armour and air assets as well, and frequently call upon the navy for transport and fire support. They are identified by a black band in their rank markings. For further details, see: Erenmor Armed Forces 'Economy' While not the wealthiest nation around the Endeavor Sea, Erenmor has come a long way economically from its early days, when it had to rely on piracy to fill its needs. Farming in the country can be divided into two branches: the sort being carried out in the river valleys, and the sort carried out elsewhere. The river valleys and their flood plains produce grain (both as food for people, and feed for animals); farming elsewhere is given over to more varied crops, fruits and spices being the most widespread. The various spices are commonly exported, especially as part of the "traditional Erenmor seasoning mix", a hellishly strong combination designed after the traditional (and still vastly popular) style of Erenmor cooking. For fruit, a lot of planations are gathered along the coast, with date palms and citrus fruit being widely popular. The dates do not see much export in raw form, but will most often be seen abroad in their distilled form, zoomi, the traditional local alcohol (and quite strong as well.) Cattle-raising is becoming less widespread on account of its needs for water and land, but it is still practiced, the preferred animal being a large flightless bird, kept mainly for eggs and meat. Hunting within the southern jungle is still fairly common as well, providing a steady (if small) supply of wild game. Most of the country's meat supply at present comes from fishing, both in the Gulf of Zerda, and in the local rivers. Where conditions allow, fish farms have also been set up to take some of the strain off the natural populations. Erenmor strives to be seen as the leading developer of new technologies in the region, and a lot of its industry is these days focused on providing the fruits of these new technologies both at home and abroad. Electronics exports have been steadily growing in recent years, and the country's weapons industry has had a good run of providing high-quality weapons to foreign parts, despite the competition from companies like ISIS and Unravel Industries. The country definitely does excel in its new developments in medicine, however, producing and exporting numerous new treatments, though there is some murmuring in the community over what or who the products were in fact initially tested on... Also despite stiff competition form neighbouring Zerda, Erenmor's tourist sector is quite healthy. While there is no outright ban against lower-class tourists, a lot of the advertising is keyed towards the upper classes: the bankers, executives, and politicians, offering a safe and secure retreat from the hassles of the office, along with the guarantee of confidentiality to those wishing to conduct their negotiations there. In fact, Erenmor has been promoting itself abroad as a neutral ground for any and all negotiations and talks. 'Demographics' The majority of Erenmor's population consists of fennec foxes, with a significant minority of bat-eared foxes living in the north of the country, as well as the subtype of Reda fennecs and immigrants from other nations. Physically, Erenmor fennecs are one of the smallest races in terms of stature in the region, tending towards a short, wiry build. Reda fennecs, on the other hand, tend towards a lanky and wiry build, being taller than their regular fennec kin by at least a full head and ears. The bat-eared foxes fall roughly in the middle of this scale, also tending more towards a stocky build. Erenmor is divided into administrative units roughly following the holdings of the major clans from before the Unification Challenges. The region names (and the names of the region capitols) are also taken from those of the pre-unification tribes. Reda, while the smallest in the territorial sense, has thus far proven to be the most influential. Having the most contact with foreign cultures by virtue of their ports around Roenn island, they were the quickest to pick up new ideas and put them into practice if needed. It was Reda, historically, that initiated the unification process. A side effect of their openness to other cultures, Reda fennecs virtually always have foreign blood in their lineage and tend to stand much taller than other fennecs. Joryn was, historically, quick to join the effort, having previously relied on Reda for facilitating outside trade for them, and for most of the Challenges remained the breadbasket of the forming Collective. A majority of the territory is flood plains of the Joryn River, and still one of the most significant farmlands in the country. It is also one of the more popular destinations for foreign visitors. Sykim and Verran are hilly regions, giving way to rocky highlands in their centres. Historically both have been fiercely independant, though it was Verran that saw the first fighting during the Challenges. Presently, they are the site of most of Erenmor's mining and manufacturing industry. Morit fennecs have a well-earned reputation for being generally belligerent and aggressive. Historically, while Verran saw the first fighting, Morit saw most of it, and the end of the Challenges did not calm them down one bit. They have been blamed for inciting the Erenmor-Shaghal wars with their constant border conflicts, and even today a significant portion of the region is still contested by neighbouring Shaghali. The Morit fennecs, of course, in turn lay claim to further stretches of Shaghali territory south of the border. The region is covered mostly by thick jungles giving way to high mountains; it sees little farming, but plenty of woodcutting and plantations, with Joryn River serving as a natural shipping route. Nyasse is a region of sweeping plains and presently the site of a large portion of the nation's industry, otherwise generally unremarkable compared to the other regions. Banashe boasts the largest population of bat-eared foxes living in its bounds, and the fennecs are quite happy to accept them as kin on similar grounds as the Reda fennecs. The region is mostly a mixed sand and rock desert, giving way to savannah at higher altitudes. Croia once surpassed Joryn in its food production, but the wars with Shaghal, especially the losses of 779 and the subsequent Retaking, have left the countryside devastated. Recovery has been slow, but the region appears to be back on its feet. The local fennecs (and the occasional bat-eared fox), however, are notorious for their dim view on foreigners in general and jackals in particular. 'Religion and Culture' There are two major religions currently present in Erenmor. On the one hand, there are the collective Animist beliefs of the original tribes, with the old faith still practiced by about three quarters of the population. The second major religion is the relatively new monotheistic Church of the Builder, favoured by a fifth of the population. Modern-day fennecs tend to live much as they did in the old tribal days. Outside the major cities, small clan villages are still quite common, and within cities, members of the same clan and tribe tend to cluster around one area. This is not to say that the cities are just a patchwork of tribal ghettos - the various fennecs have no trouble mingling with members of other tribes on day to day business, but still pull together for personal support. The old tribal discipline system is still strong, and with clans frequently held accountable for the transgressions of one member, having all members in one place makes it easy for the group to police itself. People in Erenmor tend to live in family groups within a single larger dwelling, rarely separated into distinct rooms aside from areas for highly specific purposes. In general, actual privacy is quite hard to come by in Erenmor and it may come as a bit of a shock to immigrants coming to live in the country. Families certainly do not keep to their own company, however, and interaction between dens is frequent and common, though made slightly more complicated in the larger cities by the concentration of people living there. The social calendar of a family in a major city can be a very complex thing to manage as a result. Erenmor citizens are typically quite welcoming to any foreigners that do not cause trouble. In the case of tourists, they are eager to display the prosperity and overall superiority of their homeland, and are perfectly happy to take the tourists' money in return for samples of some of the country's wealth. In the case of immigrants, the locals are typically happy to see that others have seen the inherent superiority of Erenmor and have decided to live there instead of whatever their homeland had been. While culture shock can be an issue, newcomers generally have an easy time fitting in. It should be pointed out that the natives of Erenmor are nocturnal by nature. Given the daytime heat, it is something that immigrants quickly become accustomed to, but tourists may come away with the impression that the cities and towns are all but dead during the daytime, but make up for it an absolutely teeming night life, where in fact night is the period of greatest activity for the locals. It can also cause some timetable issues when dealing with foreign delegations - to avoid this, official meetings are typically schedualed for the morning or evening so as to hit on the period where both sides' natural activity cycles overlap. Erenmor in Art & Prose To do: Rat Watching v 1.2 The Retaking Double-Oh-Fennec